The Concacaf Nations League opens its quarterfinals on Thursday with one feature that changes the weight of the window: the tournament is, in the confederation's own words, "the only path to qualification for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup". There is no parallel qualifying competition, so what is settled between 12 and 17 November determines who plays next year's continental tournament.
The first match is Curaçao against Panama on Thursday at 6pm (Central America time) at Stadion Ergilio Hato in Willemstad. The return leg is on Sunday the 15th at 5pm at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in Panama City.
The four ties
The League A quarterfinals pair Mexico with Jamaica, the United States with Haiti, Canada with Guatemala and Panama with Curaçao. Mexico arrive as the tournament's reigning champions.
- Guatemala-Canada: first leg Friday the 13th at 8pm at the Estadio Manuel Felipe Carrera; return Monday the 16th at 6pm at BMO Field in Toronto.
- Jamaica-Mexico: first leg Saturday the 14th at 7pm at the National Stadium in Kingston; return Tuesday the 17th at 8.30pm at the stadium in Monterrey.
- Haiti-United States: first leg Saturday the 14th at 3.30pm at Sabina Park; return Tuesday the 17th at 6pm at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.
- Curaçao-Panama: first leg Thursday the 12th at 6pm at Stadion Ergilio Hato; return Sunday the 15th at 5pm at the Estadio Rommel Fernández.
The four winners advance to the tournament's Final Four, scheduled for March 2027 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and qualify directly for the Gold Cup. The four losers drop into the continental tournament's preliminaries.
League B also hands out places
The window does not end with the quarterfinals: there are 32 matches in six days, with League B settling its four groups. Group winners qualify directly for the Gold Cup, are promoted to League A and play the inaugural League B Championship, also in March 2027; the two best runners-up go to the preliminaries.
Most groups are still open. In Group A, Guyana lead with 12 points from four matches, three ahead of Puerto Rico (9), and the two meet on 16 November. In Group B, Barbados top the table with 10 points, followed by Saint Lucia (9) and Guadeloupe (4), with the decisive match on the 17th. In Group C, Cuba and St Kitts and Nevis are level on 8 points, separated only by goal difference. In Group D, St Vincent and the Grenadines are unbeaten on 12 points against French Guiana's 9, and their match on 17 November could decide the group.
In all, eight teams will leave this window with a direct Gold Cup place and another ten with a ticket to the preliminaries.
What comes next
The 2027 Gold Cup will bring together 16 teams from 17 June to 11 July that year. The preliminaries, in March 2027, will put 14 teams in contention for seven places, and the tournament's official draw is set for 8 April 2027.
With information from Concacaf and Claro Sports.
